Here’s The Wish List For The Phillies To Have A Big Second Half

It’s been all about expectations for the Philadelphia Phillies since they reached the World Series in 2022 (and lost to the Houston Astros). It’s been about getting back there and winning the whole shebang.

Welp, time’s a-ticking; four months to go to fulfill the loftiest of goals. And come November, free agency could disintegrate the Phillies’ core. Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto will hit the open market, and who knows if they’ll wear red pinstripes again? So before the core goes poof, here are three wishes that we hope come true in the second half to send the Phils soaring like a swing-off Schwarbomb:

1. A heathy Bryce Harper wrist

It’s all on Harper — more specifically his wrist. That sounds unfair to dump all the season’s hopes and dreams on Harper’s chronically inflamed wrist that plagued him late last season and sent him to the IL for a month this year. But it’s the cold fact: A healthy Harper is a dangerous Harper that can lift the team to another Red October.

Former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said on The Phillies Show podcast that dropped on Wednesday that every other issue with the Phils “is moot if Bryce Harper doesn’t become Bryce Harper. Because if he doesn’t, their ability to score runs is going to be diminished greatly.”

Harper looked feeble upon his return from the IL, going 1 for 14 in four games, but then he busted out on July 8 with a career-best four extra-base hits — one home run and three doubles — giving the team (and its fans) a burst of hope that the old Harper is back.

2. Find a closer

This one is on Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, whose discount-bin closer (Jordan Romano) has been an epic fail. Dombrowski gave Jordan Romano — once a very good closer — a one-year deal on the pure fantasy that Romano could rebound from an injury-riddled 2024 and end games in Philly. Romano has a 7.29 ERA; ‘nuff said. And it’s not just Romano. The Phils’ bullpen has been abysmal with a 5.81 ERA, which is the second worst in baseball.

So now with the trade deadline looming, Dombrowski is (once again!) searching for a high-leverage arm. A couple good ones are reportedly on the market, including Minnesota’s Jhoan Durán and Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase. But to get a closer of Duran or Clase’s ilk, Philadelphia would have to say bye-bye to a top-tier prospect or two. How about Aidan Miller and Mick Abel? No? Well, that’s what it may cost.

Getting Duran or Clase would bump the part-time closers — Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm — out of the ninth and give much-needed length to Philly’s end game. And don’t forget, a starting pitcher would slot into the ‘pen if the Phils reach the postseason. That pitcher would most likely be lefty Jesus Luzardo, whose 97-mph fastball could play up big in a one-inning stint.

3. Fix centerfield with Justin Crawford

If the Phillies fix centerfield, they fix left field. Meaning: If they find a capable centerfielder, they can slide Brandon Marsh over to left. After a treacherous start, Marsh pieced together a solid season, slashing .303/.364/.419 since May 3, but he’s a subpar defender in center.

Marsh in left field would make sense and force the team to cut ties with Max Kepler (see Whit Merrifield from last year).

So who would play center? The prospect we hope they don’t trade: Justin Crawford, who’s slashing .331/.407/.432 with 29 steals at Triple-A. He’s also the best centerfielder in the system. Yes, better than Johan Rojas. Doesn’t that sound like the easiest fix if it were to work? A resounding yes. Here’s some slickness from the kid: